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Three Out of Six MacBook Pros In the Apple Store Have Horrible Screens

Atomic Ed said:
Your welcome and I had a hard time understanding manufacturers using this concept when I first learned about it a few years ago. However manufacturing today is basically run by the bean counters and no longer by Quality and Design engineers. Marketing today basically is told to sell whatever the accounts decide they can get away with even though they themselves possess no product knowledge at all. I believe this is what destroys most US companies today. o be fair to Apple they are by no means the only ones doing this, but it does surprise me that with their customer base being quality minded people willing to pay more for decent quality, they would tarnish their rep by doing this. I understand HP, Del, Etc doing it because they are al about low cost in the business models but to me Apple doing this is like Rolls Royce using chevy engines to save a buck. In the end it will bite them and I think people are starting to catch on in larger numbers about this practice nowadays.

Anyway there used to be a way to find out the display model in your system by going to certain area in the properties. I wish I could remember where it was now. It was back in mid 2007 when I tried it last. From what I remember, what you want to have is the LG model and not the Samsung. The LG was light years nicer quality. If I figure out where this property is located again I will post it back for you or if one of the other knowledgeable members here can tell us, that would be great.
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As far as I remember Apple uses at least 3 panel makers for the 15" MBP.
 
What I notice from my LCD on the late 08 MBP is that I just move my head off center a few inches and there's a VERY noticable yellow cast.

Mine's calibrated with a spyder pro and is pretty good as long as you stay dead center.

I also have one dead pixel but it doesn't bother me too much.
 
ageha said:
As far as I remember Apple uses at least 3 panel makers for the 15" MBP.
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I believe your correct but I could only recall the names of two of them. Those two Samsung and LG appeared to be the most common found during the first months of the MBP SR release. You know even though I am unsure if my SR MBP has the affected Nvidia GPU or not, I have to say this machine has been absolutely flawless since I got it in June of 07. Good screen with no dead pixels or any problems whatsoever. I was just very lucky I guess. I do also have a Dell that has a 15 LED panel that is truly breathtaking compared to my MBP panel. I don't recall the brand off the top of my head now but it is some chinese company I never heard of. However their panel is stunning and blows away any others I had ever seen hands down. Again I got lucky with that machine too, although it does have a damned Nvidia GPU just like my MBP so I have 2 to worry about burning up now :(
 
Sad to hear this.

I don't know if my expectations have gone horribly low, but now when I buy a mac notebook, all i care about is not getting any dead or stuck pixels. i can live with some yellow tint but not a dead pixel as that would drive me nuts.

As to the differing qualities of the LCDs, a genius once told me that no two LCDs are alike and that accounts for why some are cool and some warm, and some have yellow tint and some don't. Whilst I agreed with the genius that no two are alike, it's terrible to have such obvious differences among the LCDs.

disappointing. And the macbook pro screen is supposed to have the best LCD out of the whole notebook line.

@JeffBarlow: If what you say is true, and it probably is. I must just be a very unlucky person. I've always gotten either a dead pixel, cracked macbook, faulty gpu, and with the iPhone cracks, and screen separation issue 4x.

i really hope i'll get lucky with my next apple purchase!
 
Atomic Ed said:
I believe your correct but I could only recall the names of two of them. Those two Samsung and LG appeared to be the most common found during the first months of the MBP SR release. You know even though I am unsure if my SR MBP has the affected Nvidia GPU or not, I have to say this machine has been absolutely flawless since I got it in June of 07. Good screen with no dead pixels or any problems whatsoever. I was just very lucky I guess. I do also have a Dell that has a 15 LED panel that is truly breathtaking compared to my MBP panel. I don't recall the brand off the top of my head now but it is some chinese company I never heard of. However their panel is stunning and blows away any others I had ever seen hands down. Again I got lucky with that machine too, although it does have a damned Nvidia GPU just like my MBP so I have 2 to worry about burning up now :(
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The 3rd one is Chi Mei. http://www.chimeicorp.com/en/default.asp
 
Just sounds like all the colour profiles have been changed on the respective MBP's in store by the mass of people playing with the demo units. Check that before running comparisons
 
MagicWok said:
Just sounds like all the colour profiles have been changed on the respective MBP's in store by the mass of people playing with the demo units. Check that before running comparisons
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Yeah but it's still a bad screen.
 
My Jan 07 £499 Tosh has an amazing screen.
My Feb 08 £829 Macbook has a piss poor screen.

I have noticed over the years laptop screens have actually got worse, its all about profit now days.

The Macbook Pro, iMac 24", and ACD screens, are amazing, but they can feck right off if they think I am paying that much for a computer.

The 20" iMac screen aint bad from what I have seen, so a refurb 20" alu will be my next computer me thinks, or a hackintosh.
 
Funny, I read the thread title and though it was referring to something I've noticed about the machines in the Apple store, which is that when the screen is closed then opened again, some take quite a bit more time and prodding to turn back on than others.

I'm really surprised to learn this stuff. I always figured - I don't know, it sounds stupid now - but that Apple made their own LCDs!

I'd be interested to know how to check the manufacturer of an individual machine's screen, thanks to anyone who can remember how to do so/figure it out.
 
I am not saying that this is not true but I have read a lot of reviews online about the new MBP, still waiting for mine, and not one of them has mentioned this issue. The only complaint I have read is regarding resolution but in terms of quality it is absouletly amazing.

Could this thread be nit picking a little? If this is an issue and I think its not as extreme as mentioned. I went to the apple store in London and every model looked amazing.

I mean the way I see it buy it if you want it or leave it but trying to get a model with a certain screen seems a little extreme and its not as if it would be better with a pc manufacturer. A lot of the reviews of the dell xps m1330 when it came out mentioned inconsitancy in the screen.

I love Macrumors, I only just joined and have found it really helpful in choosing my second mac after my Gen 1 Blackbook. I am just a little suprised by how much people complain here. The new Macbooks are what they are take it or leave it!! The only other options are to wait for something else or get a PC and with the last option the only PC I like the look of at the moment are Voodoos but they are having construction problems aswell as outdated hardware.
 
When I buy an Asus notebook for £400 I don't expect the best screen but when I buy a MacBook Pro for £1750 I really expect the latest and best screen available. I don't understand why Apple still offers no RGB LED backlit screens, they are a huge improvement over the bright but dull white LED backlit screens. Even Notebooks with dual lamps like the ones from Sony, Asus and Dell are looking better than Apples notebooks screens.
 
Keep in mind, just because Apple may have used 3 different manufacturers for the previous models of the MBP doesn't mean they are anymore. The new notebook is a completely different build w/ a totally different screen.

Now that said, what is the motivation for a computer manufacturer to get ANY part from 3 different manufacturers? I know Apple has done this in the past w/ their PPC chips but that was because Motorolla couldn't keep up w/ the demand if I remember correctly. If they have a manufacturer that makes the screen they want why not get ALL of them from the same source? Keeps everything uniform (moreso anyways) and simple for defective product etc.

Until someone has proof w/ this new line I don't buy this "theory."
 
The other day I was in the Chicago store looking at the MacBook Pro's there and I commented to one of the sales people that I thought one of the machines there has a strong bluish cast to it but he didn't seem at all interested in my observation.

MICHAELSD said:
I know that this doesn't matter to most people that buy a MacBook Pro, only those that know that Apple uses different LCD manufacturers for the screen. From the six MBPs at the Apple Store by me, three out of the six of them had horrible screens.

The first two that I'll complain about were just mediocre compared to the two good ones. They were a little above average compared to most other laptops, but compared to other screens you would have a chance at getting, I wouldn't want to stick with these. They had a flat contrast ratio (blacks and whites that aren't pure) and just wasn't vivid, compared to the good screens, at least. Colors were noticeably off, too.

Two of the screens, though both looking different, one with more vivid colors and the other with a deeper contrast ratio, looked amazing and were the best screens I've seen on a laptop. The first screen I saw was that one that I want to have in my MBP.

One of the screens I saw was calibrated with very cool colors instead of warm like the other MacBook Pros. This screen wasn't regularly cool either, it was overly blue with a blue dominance so bad that it makes the top bar look blue instead of silver and messes up the colors and the screen had whites and blacks that were a lot less deep and pure than the rest. You really have to see it to get an idea of how bad it is, but I can't believe Apple would use a screen that looks so much worse and is calibrated so differently. In my opinion, that screen should be considered defective. I asked an Apple Genius if they would return my MBP if I got the screen and she said probably not since it was in spec.

I'm really disappointed with how different the screens are in the new MacBook Pro. Some of them are mediocre, some are horrible (the horrible screens are really bad), and if you're lucky enough, some are amazing. I wish that there was a way to request one of the screens, if you're paying $2k for something, you shouldn't have to get lucky to get the better screens. Apple shouldn't use screens that look so different, anyway. By the way, I've noticed the same thing with the MacBooks using screens that look a lot different, too.
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My new MBP took a while to calibrate properly. It's possible the ones in the store had their calibration settings changed. I know if I select any other calibration setting (like the ones that appear after photoshop is installed) the screen goes totally blue. Not even cool, but BLUE.

After running the advanced calibration, I find the display very nice on the eye.


Plus my panel doesn't have a single stuck or dead pixel so i'm psyched about that.
 
steffi said:
The other day I was in the Chicago store looking at the MacBook Pro's there and I commented to one of the sales people that I thought one of the machines there has a strong bluish cast to it but he didn't seem at all interested in my observation.
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I doubt he'll read that long email. Should have just said:.

"Steve,

love Apple and the New MacBooks, but what's up with the new screens? They seem to be varying from machine to machine."

The answer would be:

"You are wrong.
Steve"
 
fleshman03 said:
I doubt he'll read that long email. Should have just said:.

"Steve,

love Apple and the New MacBooks, but what's up with the new screens? They seem to be varying from machine to machine."

The answer would be:

"You are wrong.
Steve"
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hahaha... :)
 
I've looked at several new MBPs in the Apple Store and along with the one I bought they have the best out of box color and screens I've ever seen in a 15" portable from Apple. I just don't agree with the observations in this thread.

I have seen new Apple laptops that are setup in a store with a demo disc that doesn't have the right settings for that machine. I saw a few 17" MBPs in the last revision that had terrible blue color casts. Nothing wrong with the hardware, it was just using the profile from the completely wrong machine.
 
MowingDevil said:
Keep in mind, just because Apple may have used 3 different manufacturers for the previous models of the MBP doesn't mean they are anymore. The new notebook is a completely different build w/ a totally different screen.

Now that said, what is the motivation for a computer manufacturer to get ANY part from 3 different manufacturers? I know Apple has done this in the past w/ their PPC chips but that was because Motorolla couldn't keep up w/ the demand if I remember correctly. If they have a manufacturer that makes the screen they want why not get ALL of them from the same source? Keeps everything uniform (moreso anyways) and simple for defective product etc.

Until someone has proof w/ this new line I don't buy this "theory."
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Haha, of course they always want to get the cheapest stuff. 99% of all customers don't care anyway.
 
ageha said:
Haha, of course they always want to get the cheapest stuff. 99% of all customers don't care anyway.
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Actually, from a manufacturing/business perspective, it would make more sense to buy the parts from a single manufacturer. This would allow responsive/quick tracking of defective batches and ensure consistency across the board. Greater consistency means less customer complaints. Less customer complaints means more $$. That's my two cents anyway...
 
nope7308 said:
Actually, from a manufacturing/business perspective, it would make more sense to buy the parts from a single manufacturer. This would allow responsive/quick tracking of defective batches and ensure consistency across the board. Greater consistency means less customer complaints. Less customer complaints means more $$. That's my two cents anyway...
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Actually that makes too much logical long term thinking sense and unfortunately most companies succumb to the practices of their accountants who pin their vendors against each other via bidding, to extract the lowest cost of each part. They do this even if it means risking long term viability of a company because it is all about short term profits with them and they see nothing else.
 
Atomic Ed said:
Actually that makes too much logical long term thinking sense and unfortunately most companies succumb to the practices of their accountants who pin their vendors against each other via bidding, to extract the lowest cost of each part. They do this even if it means risking long term viability of a company because it is all about short term profits with them and they see nothing else.
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Yeah, but who cares? If Apple dies I withdraw my money and put it into another company.
 
Atomic Ed said:
Actually that makes too much logical long term thinking sense and unfortunately most companies succumb to the practices of their accountants who pin their vendors against each other via bidding, to extract the lowest cost of each part. They do this even if it means risking long term viability of a company because it is all about short term profits with them and they see nothing else.
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But my reasoning is not long-term. Suppose one of the LED parts is defective (say, LG). Having one provider means the company can track the specific batch of defective parts and hopefully correct/replace them before they reach the consumer. Avoiding QA is anything but financially wise - think of how much money the company would lose in (1) return shipping costs, (2) replacement parts/computers, and (3) very angry customers.

Besides, don't these manufacturing companies sign contracts with Apple? If they do, then there really is no 'grab bag' of cheap vendor parts (all prices would be locked in for a disclosed period of time). Your reasoning just doesn't make sense. If a company focused on short-term profits over QA, I doubt they would be in business longer than a year. That said, it may be the case that Apple signed contracts with three separate vendors... what do I know?
 
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